Paprika: A primer on Hungary's spicy obsession

Sugary spice – Hungarian paprika's so sweet it can even be used in desserts. In fact, Hungarians spoon it into pretty much any dish you can think of.

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It's not really Hungarian – Christopher Columbus discovered the paprika pepper on his journeys around central America. Hungarians regard this as his most important achievement.

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Nobel spice – Speaking of discoveries, Albert Szent-Györgyi won a Nobel Prize for Hungary for his work on Vitamin C. He also found out that paprika was bursting with it.

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You could be jailed for selling it – After World War II, the communist state nationalized paprika production. Private traders faced jail if caught.

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Paprika nerds, you have two museums – But both are also working spice factories. And, yes, you do get a paprika souvenir on the tour -- a takeaway 10-gram bag.

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Spicy sausage – Paprika takes about seven months to produce from seed to powder -- when it's ready to dispense in everything from spicy sausage (kolbász), to fish soup and cake.

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Story highlights

Columbus discovered America -- and paprika

It's a spice but can be used in desserts

Not too long ago, you could be arrested for selling it

It's as red as blood and, for the traditional Hungarian chef, no less essential for a healthy life.

But humble paprika -- national spice and integral to all the most treasured Hungarian dishes -- has been having a rough time.

Hungarian paprika production has slumped as buyers across the world have turned to cheaper supplies from Spain, China and Latin America.

And two years of unpredictable weather in Hungary may mean this year's crop of capsicum annuum peppers -- the raw ingredient of paprika -- is the poorest in 50 years.

Horror of horrors, Hungary may even resort to importing the crop.

But despite these trials, and past upsets such as the communists nationalizing paprika production, the spice remains as crucial as ever to the Hungarian soul.

To understand Hungarians, you need to know a little bit about their favorite ingredient.

And if all else fails, this paprika primer will make for good talking points if you're stuck in a Budapest goulash restaurant on a rainy afternoon.

1. It's Mexican

Well, from around those parts, anyway.

Paprika peppers aren't indigenous to Europe -- the spice was among the treasures collected by Christopher Columbus on his expeditions around southern Mexico, Central America and the Antillies in the 15th century.

It made its way to Hungary via the Balkans a little later, where it was grown in the gardens of the aristocracy.

Paprika: Seven months from pepper seed to powder.

Its name is the diminutive of a Slavic word for pepper: "Papar."

"We believe Columbus's mission was a success because he came back to Europe with a marvelous spice," says Gyula Vegh, of the Szeged Paprika Museum, in southern Hungary.

And two paprika festivals -- one in the town of Kalocsa (Hungarian site only) and another in Szeged, which has been the center of the Hungarian paprika industry for more than a century.

And, no, Szeged doesn't have a huge fiberglass paprika pepper on a pole just outside town.

The two museums are also both working production plants.

The SzegedPaprika Museum (Felső Tisza-Part 10, Szeged 6721, Hungary; +36 20 980 8000) shares a building with the Pick Salami factory -- visitors get three varieties of salami to taste and a 10 gram sampling of paprika.

Visitors to the Paprika Molnar (Hungarian site only) factory, in the village of Roszke, get a guided tour from the company's CEO, Anita Molnar, as well as a spice sample.

"When people see how much work paprika-growing takes, they appreciate what they get in their little takeaway bag," Molnar says.

Dried paprika peppers resemble red potato chips and can be eaten like that -- they're a big hit among kids visiting the Molnar factory.

3. Hungarian paprika is supersweet

It takes seven months, from seed to ground powder, to produce paprika.

Hungarian paprika peppers are sweeter than others because of the country's cool growing season, which retains sugar in the spice.

The weather also affects the color of the paprika.

"In hotter regions such as Peru or western China, the sun makes the paprika dark red," Molnar says.

"As the sugar content decreases, the red color is enhanced."

Old and childless women picked the fiery crop.

But Hungarian paprika wasn't always so sweet.

In the 1920s, the peppers were of such a hot variety they could only be used after the pith had been removed, typically by women workers.

"However, women with little babies couldn't do the job because they'd have to touch the children afterward," Molnar explains.

"So unmarried women, or those with older children, picked the peppers instead."